Close To The Edge

This exercise has really driven home how much I dislike most prog.

Amazing prog rock. Jon Anderson great voice!

Couldn't get into this. Just annoying

just meh for me 2/5

I didn't used to understand this one quite as much, but no this is pretty easily one of the best prog records ever made. This could be an EP of just the title track and it would STILL be one of the most important prog records ever, but adding the other two only enhances the significance.

Its more yes. I like them well enough i just dont like the format. 30 minute songs are not easy for me to focus on. Amd even then there are good parts and less good parts. Its hard to differentiate. To split them up. Its has good ideas and less good ones too. Its kinda mixed bag in the way. Im ok with it generally though

12/10/2026 This was a very strong contender for 2 stars... because it is pants! Spotify listeners: 4.9 Million

naja, bin wohl zu jung um diese art musik zu verehren.

Sicher bedeutend.

I can’t listen to too much of this…..

I’m close to the edge of turning this off. It’s not bad, but the more and more I listen to prog rock the more indulgent the entire genre starts to seem. It’s an album that screams “LOOK WHAT I CAN DO” rather than trying to put together a consistent musical idea.

Third (and last) Yes album I get on the list, and it only confirms my opinion of the band : love the music, hate the vocals. I'm totally on board with the prog side of their work, and they're clearly competent and creative musicians with a lot of original ideas. The mix of organ and synth towards the end of the first track was really trippy (psychedelic medieval synth pop ?). It's like a more intellectual, but also less fun, version of Queen. Unfortunately, I have the same gripe as with their other albums : I can't stand Jon Anderson's voice. His quasi-falsetto annoys me, and his delivery always feels weird and affected, preventing me from really getting into the music. So yeah. This is an album I enjoyed parts of, truly ; but I probably won't come back to it. 5/10

Whoa… what an opening track! It made my 18-minute metro ride feel epic. This is exactly the kind of prog I like, especially on a first listen: dynamic, unpredictable, without necessarily being pompous or overly technical. My affection for Yes is growing considerably, with that growling bass and those cleverly integrated offbeats. Well, as usual, there are five minutes of spacey noodling and some annoying choirs, but I can live with that. “America,” among other things, also gets me excited. A rich and enjoyable prog rock album, ultimately not quite as adventurous as it seems, but one that works very well as a whole. Not a masterpiece, but I’ll definitely come back to it.

This felt redundant and unnecessary.

Yes, I too am Close to the Edge

Around 2010, I was deeply entrenched in a music scene that was wild and crazy and very different than the mainstream at the time. This album was on everyone’s turntables, and now, listening to Close To The Edge again fifteen or so years on, it’s clear to me that the entire scene I was a part of was just trying to remake this album over and over. And frankly, it’s utterly perfect, so I get it.

this really dragged

Sprawling tracks that are far too long and pretentious. Not terrible though

Ticks all the boxes for Yes' complex beauty. Also very concise.

One of the pinnacles of progressive rock - maybe not Everest, but at least K2 or Annapurna. Yes is my 20th most scrobbled artist. I’ve listened to this ablum at least 50 times over the years. Jon gets weird at times, especially later on (and currently), but Steve, Bill, Chris, and Rick more than make up for the weirdness. In fact, they add to it, but in ways I enjoy much more than Jon’s wacky lyrics. Torn through the distance of man As they regard the summit. Near the top of a big mountain of progressive rock for me.

Unexpectedly delightful.

Nothing like waking up to the second Yes album in three weeks to confirm that there is no God (or if there is, He's out to get me). This does the typical prog thing of hiding little bits that are beautiful and good in the middle of long tracks of the most annoying bobbins you've ever heard. But I'm being a bit churlish – And You and I is lovely, and I like most of Siberian Khatru, which is pretty good going! I just don't like the title track much apart from the I Get Up, I Get Down segment, and it's a long track to get out of the way.

The only Yes album you need to hear. In fact, the only Yes album that remains in my own collection. This is one to sit and listen to with no other distractions. Wallow in it. Perfect prog rock which for once equals the quality of ELP. Roger Dean’s simple green cover was a tease. Inside the album is more of his familiar cliffs/rocks/water landscape artwork. On the CD version there are a few bonus tracks including their cover of Paul Simon’s America which I never really understood but now discover it was a song they used to play at live concerts so decided to release it officially eventually. Having had a quick look at the content of other Yes albums I used to have I must admit at missing “Fragile”. This is a more conventional one with 9 shorter tracks rather than 3 long ones. Possibly more acceptable to those who recoil from the mention of prog rock so worth anticipating when it eventually comes up on this list.

This is really not my type of music. However, I wanted to go into this with an open mind. I think it’s far too easy to judge an album based on initial impressions then not give the rest of the tracks or the album as a whole a fair listen. That being said - the first side I absolutely hated summed up everything I loathe about this type of music. His voice is fawful and I cannot understand why he would even need to sing. I don’t think this type of music really needs vocals. However, side two was MUCH better - I can’t say I enjoyed it or would listen again but I’m glad I gave it a fair try. I quite liked the math rock vibes of the last track but again it just went in too long and ruined everything

The first 58 seconds of the first track, and the droney bit about 10 mins in, were lovely. The second side is a bit better, the acoustic-ey bits are nice, at least until the awful voice comes in.

Owned this one for many years. Big prog fan but Yes have always been in my 'b list'. This is their best album however. 3 tracks..each one fantastic. I think i like them in descending order...title track first, you and i second and then Siberian Khtru third. Wonderful playing and songwriting.

I never really followed these guys much but it's really good to hear them again.

(3/7) I thought it was going to be interesting but the guy's shrill voice reminded me too much of the guy from Rush

Total fan bias, but truly a masterpiece of prog-rock. Sounds, feelings, over the top in almost every category. 1 album, 3 songs. 1-18 minutes long and 2-9 minutes each. Not for everyone, but it's glorious.

i feel like this is a good album, but on spotify its the usual clusterfuck of remasters, deluxe, super deluxe versions where some songs are unavailable and some are in dogshit quality and AAAAA

Couldn’t get into it.

Really enjoyed this. I can see how punk was the response to this

I have to note that there are 3 yes albums on this list. While I think it's important to acknowledge prog when doing a project like this.. man I can't do the vocals. And I like Rush.

hmmm

I didn't enjoy this as much as the last Yes album we listened to. I'm giving it 2 stars, if only because I definitely enjoyed it more than some of the stinkers we've had to endure

Far too pleased with it self. Smug even.

Not the worst prog album I've listened to on this list, but maybe that's because it was mercifully brief? Scraping a 2.

OMG, the worst of all possible worlds, a duplicate day and one star record that I have on vinyl due to the tragic early death of my lovely brother Bill, who generally had impeccable and esoteric musical taste but also an improbable soft spot for “Prog”, we all have an “Achilles Heel” I suppose. Anyway, unlistenably dreadful. Quite as bad as the previous “Yes” LP we were forced to endure. One star. Tom.

I preferred this record to an earlier one on the list, The Yes Album. I think unfamiliarity bred more contentment. In addition, The Yes Album had some filler clunkers on it, while Close to the Edge contains three long songs to avoid the issue. I am not bothering to look up the names of the suite like pieces, only the title song sticks in my head due to the chorus. Rather than seeking to shine with individual noodling, I found more of a band approach on the record. Too many Yes songs seemed like cobbled together parts to allow each member to grab the spotlight almost like jazz where everyone gets a solo. These pieces seemed more cohesive, reminding me of the better aspects of King Crimson. The upshot was less of the traits that annoy me about the band, including Jon Anderson’s vocals. Not a ringing endorsement, but more praise than hostility is preferable in a review.

“Yes” to Yes! Good album!

4.5

Prog rock bloat. Not terrible, but not something I will listen to again.

Fucked with every song, love prog rock. First five stars given to an album I’d not listened to 🤙 Top bops: All, but that was some cover of America

19,9,9分のトータル3曲で一つのアルバム。 まじで、プログレって感じ。そもそもの構成がほかにはないパターンやし、曲自体の流れも他の曲とは全然違う。まあそれは、曲が長いからもあると思うけど。 でも、ぐちゃぐちゃってわけじゃなくて聴いていて楽しい。2曲目と3曲目で、めっちゃいいところがそれぞれあった。プログレはアーティストごとにだいぶ変わるのが面白いですね

I don't know if prog rock is for me. This album in particular sounded very all over the place, which isn't necessarily bad. There were very good instrumental parts and some parts were not so good because of how weird and psychedelic they were. The music is not completely steeped in psychedelia luckily (the rock elements helped with that). The songs are long, and there are only three of them, but "And You And I" sounded the most cohesive and good to my ears.

Kind of a wild trip, and certainly better than I expected from this band. I guess I'd always kind of written them off as cheesy later 70s rock. I'm not sure that is wholly unfair, but these guys are also clearly very talented. They get way lost in experimentation in a way that Rush or even Dream Theater doesn't always. But it's still pretty cool and definitely talented. Just probably not something I'd listen to much. 3/5

Really good prog rock album, I enjoyed this one much more than their previous entry on this list, Fragile. Multiple different keyboard instruments added depth and variety, and getting away from arrangements that sounded like they belonged at a ren fair was a fantastic choice. The album is only three tracks long, but each track is a set of compositions that flow into one another. You could tell these guys worked their asses off recording this, there’s so many interesting layers to it, yet it’s still pretty accessible. Really enjoyed this one, strong 4/5

This is the absolute pinnacle of classic symphonic progressive rock. A band that is perfectly in tune and plays together seamlessly celebrates their artistry across three epic compositions. Needless to say, this is the band’s finest album.

Excellent, ça faisait longtemps qu'il était dans ma liste d'album à écouter et il tombe ici. Je savais que j'allais adorer avant même de commencer. Album génial pas déçu du tout, j'ai passé un super moment

ok très cool c'est genre police mixé aux red hot mais en bien.

They just have great stuff.

Will never get this band

I dig it. It often feels pretentious, but I would definitely throw it on agian.

Overall: 10/10 Despite the fact that Roundabout is my all time favourite song, I think the epicness of Close to the Edge makes it Yes's magnum opus. That song alone is just such an incredible achievement. The other two songs on here are also amazing but man....19 minutes of pure showing off is just so cool to me. Fav Song: Close to the Edge

Meh, very proggy prog

Oh boy here comes a hot take... I honestly believe that the most entertaining song is "Siberian Khatru", as the other tracks I find hard to stay interested through their whole runtime. "Close to the Edge", their most celebrated song and being an almost 20 minutes piece, does almost nothing for me. The parts I find the most appealing are the ambient sections, being these beautiful and big moments created by the synths and keyboards. But apart from that, not really digging the prog rock bits. Don't find interesting the weird guitars at the beginning, the groove moment is just decent and the rest that is not ambient don't even stick with me. The voice I also don't find that great nor inspiring. Then is "And You And I", which great part of its composition is folkish acoustic guitar, which is beautiful to some degree, yet I neither find it super interesting. As a whole, this song is the one I dislike the most, lacking any real part that sounded convincing for me. Finally, there is "Siberian Khatu", and as stated at the beginning, is the song I like the best as I believe it has the best riffs and most playful fun performances, making it a rather joyful experience. In conclusion, an album that I don't really get. I guess I can say that all the changes inside the songs make them entertaining to listen to, but only one of them I do really enjoy.

Amazing playing. Some beautiful bits but the long sections lose me at times.

4/5

Yes

Ik haat Yes, en daar heeft dit album geen verandering in gebracht

prog rock. what can one say?

wasn't a fan of the first 2 tracks, 3rd redeemed it for me a bit. Not something I see myself coming back to. Rating:3.5

OK fine, yes, that’s one of the most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard. I’m a prog rock guy now. I’m not happy about this but the heart wants what it wants.

This is art. Yes it’s over the top, complex, with 10 minute songs and self indulgent noodling and it’s one of the best at it. Squire is one of the best in the biz on the bass.

boring boring boring. This is not my genre

I did not enjoy this.

Nah, dont like it.

Better than yesterdays but still kinda mid, would I listen to it again no but it’s bearable

Listen normally I hate long albums with long songs but fuck it it’s yes. I would be a hypocrite given I like roundabout

More like No. Am I right?

A little nostalgia bias for me as I grew up hearing them as they were one of my older brother's favorite bands. Yes, they're pompous as hell and cross into Spinal Tap territory regularly. What other band would feature a lengthy church organ solo? What I love about them is how melodic their songs are compared to many prog rock bands. And there is no denying their instrumental virtuosity (Steve Howe on guitar, Chris Squire on bass, Rick Wakeman on keys....none better). Their run of albums in the early 70's is without peer. The song "Siberian Khatru" kicks ass and I will fight anyone who says differently. Just an overall fantastic album.

Conflicted feelings on this, which i think reflects my feelings on prog as a genre. On the one hand, it's undeniably an impressive technical achievement. But I don't feel it, and that's a massive part of music to me. The record has the same pitfalls as most prog I've heard - the overly verbose, literary lyrics, insisting on including every instrument to prove your virtuosity, acting like youre a classical composer and not a snobby English nerd. Theres something very eurocentric about the genre's delusions of grandeur. I want to like it more than I do but so far, Court of the Crimson King is the only prog album that's ever really done it for me.

Already heard, probably my favorite Yes album overall. One of best progressive albums musically-lyrics are lame. Listened to Super Deluxe version-very nice live concert included.

i’m so sick of yes

Wasn't too bad, didn't focus on it much while I was listening which was just what I needed

YES is a band that I never seek out to listen to intentionally, but the times I find myself hearing one or more tracks, it’s an interesting ride. Their musicianship is very precise and their sound fills the room. This nearly gets the round up to a 4 but a very sold 7/10 or 3.5/5 for me. 3.5/5

I didn’t like this as much as the previous yes albums (I think we’ve had 3 so far). Was just a little too prog and missing something I could get into. Not very memorable. 3 songs for an album is also pretty funny. Man, enough there to keep it above a 2 rounding I guess but not by much. 2.75

These guys clearly do instruments good, though not something I can see myself returning to. 3.25/5

Слушая этот альбом, хочется оказаться где-нибудь в горах, наслаждаться свежим ветерком и любоваться водопадом, абсолютно сказочная, свободная музыка, сыграна просто великолепно, музыкально к пластинке невозможно придраться, прекрасные клавиши, орган, создают такую волшебную атмосферу, Бруфорд, который играет так уникально, он знает когда не нужно играть и просто дать музыке жить своей жизнью. Это сложная музыка, но одновременно очень доступная. Можно много чего написать ещё про этот альбом, но это абсолютный пик, катарсис, нужно просто слушать и наслаждаться

It's.....not as bad as I expected. Had written off Yes as a prog rock abomination band along the lines of ELP, and to a certain extent this album is that...but...while full of prog rock excess, this is fairly enjoyable to listen to, I have to say. I wouldn't be the biggest fan of Jon Anderson as a singer but the style suits these songs, obviously all technically great musicians involved. A pleasant surprise as I thought this would be brutal rubbish. 6/10

Pretty slick progressive rock will always be a good time to me. Not something I would listen to again immediately afterward, but enjoyable in the moment.

Better than Taylor Swift, just saying

8/10

At first I was like NO then I was like YES

Noodly all the way, kinda okay.

A bit too prog for me

Y si yo dijera que Yes son la mejor banda de los 70 entonces qué

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The virtuosity wasn't too overbearing and there were enough shifts of mood to keep it from just being a display of talent

Not my favorite yes album unfortunately

I didn't mind this! Some good jamming for a Friday morning.

Probably one of the best albums of the list. One of my favorites at least.

What a palette cleanser after the horror show of jazz yesterday. Thais was a fun upbeat ultimate that was easy to listen to and enjoyable.

I really only cared for 3 of the tracks on this album.

It’s got three songs…immediate unease. Ended up being good though. Enjoyed the listen - it’s not drive to work material, but it’s solid. 3.5.

Prog isn’t really my thing. It’s too long winded. This was ok, but not something I would choose to listen to again.

While I like that shorter earlier stuff, there's definitely a time and a place for this.

This one was on heavy rotation in college. I still don’t know the words but I can sing the harmonies and know all the music by heart. The link goes to the deluxe edition… screw that. Listen to the original 3 track album. It’s all you need.

Yes has a distinctive and enjoyable sound in moderation. This 3 song album was just right for that.

Cutting edge rock album!

Well, at least I have now finished the 3 Yes albums from the list. It's not any worse than the others but as there really shouldn't be so much Yes, this is 1 star.